


Flowery Tattoo

by camichats



Series: Imagine James and Sirius Prompts [183]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Communication, Established Relationship, Fluff, Good Boyfriend James Potter, Light Angst, M/M, Tattoos, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27622738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: Sirius wants to get a tattoo, but he's worried about how James would react. It turns out that he had no reason to worry.
Relationships: Sirius Black/James Potter
Series: Imagine James and Sirius Prompts [183]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/752925
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	Flowery Tattoo

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt: “hello, i love your writing! was wondering if you'd write something angsty about sirius wanting to get tattoos/piercings but being worried abt how james will react? bonus points for newly established relationship & allusions to past black family trauma being the cause of sirius's hesitation!!”

This whole thing would be easier for Sirius if he could claim that it was about exercising agency over his own body when he'd spent so long feeling like he couldn't even grow his _hair_ out, but that's not what it was. He didn't want to get a tattoo as proof that it was his body and he could do whatever he wanted with it because it was _his_ ; he wanted to get a tattoo because it was pretty. That the tattoo he wanted was specifically of frangipani didn't make him feel less anxious. 

There was an entire list of reasons he was nervous about it. 

  1. Getting a tattoo hurt, and it was with a _needle_. He figured he'd be fine, but without having any experience with it (or any needles at all, really), he was a little concerned. This was in the number one position on his list because it was actually the lower on his list of worries. He started with the stuff that didn't bother him quite as much and worked his way up. 
  2. Frangipani weren't native to Thailand as far as he could tell, but they'd taken to growing there so naturally that it felt like they were-- according to the article he'd read on it; he'd always thought that they were native to Thailand because of the pictures he'd seen. The Black Family here in Britain had been trying to distance itself from being anything other than pasty British for several decades, but with the main branches of the family tree all coming from Thailand and all the inbreeding, they'd failed rather spectacularly. The worry niggling in the back of his mind over that detail was his parents. He didn't live with them anymore and hadn't for years, but any question about Thailand had ended with him being punished to the point that it was automatic for him to talk about anything from there and feel like he was about to be locked in a closet. 
  3. James. See, normally James was Sirius's number one reason for why he was loved and supported, but he wasn't sure that James would look too kindly on this change. James loved Sirius. Sirius knew that. James said it so often that he didn't really have a choice but to accept it as true, especially not when he paired it with that lovesick look on his face. The problem was that, well, James loved Sirius's _body_ , too. They hadn't been together for very long, and he didn't fancy getting something done that would upset what good things they had going. 



Sirius wanted to get a massive tattoo on his ribs. That was in the way of where James usually kissed when they had sex. He knew that he could talk to James about it, but he was terrified that the answer would be, "You can if you want," and not, "I think that would look great." He knew for a fact that James could tell him that he could do whatever he wanted because it was his body and it would be the truth, but he didn't _want_ for that to be James's answer. He wanted for James to love it as much as he did. It was art that he wanted on his body so he could appreciate it all the time. He wouldn't have to see it-- just knowing that it was there would be enough to pick up his mood. 

"Something bothering you?" James asked over dinner-- which, of course. Sirius should've known better than to think that he wouldn't notice something was wrong. 

"Yeah," Sirius admitted, twirling his fork through the noodles. 

"You want to talk about it?" 

He was silent for a minute, and James kept eating like maybe they hadn't been talking about anything to begin with. It helped-- took the pressure off, some. "I want to get a tattoo." 

"Cool," James said easily. "What of?" 

"Frangipani." 

He frowned, and even though Sirius's mind knew that it was something else, his heart skipped a beat automatically in concern. "Is that... food?" 

"Er, no. Flower." 

"Oh, right." James chuckled. "That makes more sense. Where are you planning to get it?" 

"On my ribs." 

"Ouch. I've heard it hurts worse on bone." 

"But you're... I mean, you're good with it?" Sirius asked. James was acting like he was, but he needed to make sure. 

"With what?" 

"Me getting a tattoo. And I mean, that it's a flower and that it's going to be on my ribs." 

"Well yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" James asked innocently. 

The relief was instantaneous. "I dunno," he said, because that was easier than admitting he'd been concerned about three different things, none of which would have stopped him individually, but altogether had made him too nervous to go out and get it. 

"How about this? New rule that you don't have to talk to me about any change you want to do with your body, unless it's a genital piercing." He paused. "Because, as your boyfriend, I do feel like I have a little bit of say in that. Plus I don't want to be, like, surprised one day. I feel like that would go poorly. Do you have to have sex differently when you've got one?" he wondered aloud, but not like he thought Sirius would have an answer for him. 

"I doubt it. But also, bugger off, I'm never doing that." 

"Never say never, Sirius. You used to think you wouldn't be able to eat with chopsticks." 

Sirius stared at him incredulously for a second. "Wh- that is _not_ the same thing. I was yelling at you for making me try when I kept buggering up, not refusing to do it point blank. Also? Eating with a different utensil is in no way the same as getting a sodding piercing on my prick." 

"I'm just saying, don't rule it out entirely before you've even thought about it." 

"It seems like you're trying awfully hard to convince me. Are you sure there's nothing you want to admit on wanting me to get done?" 

James shot him a v and kept eating. Merlin, Sirius loved him. 

**Author's Note:**

> This is from a prompt driven blog @[imaginejamesandsirius](https://imaginejamesandsirius.tumblr.com) on tumblr. Feel free to drop by!


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